Cyclone Bulbul: Bangladesh, India report dozens of casualties

At least 14 people were killed and around 30 others injured when heavy rains and winds of up 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) smashed into the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, which lies on the Bay of Bengal between the two neighbors.

A desperate search was launched for 36 Bangladeshi fishermen after their two fishing boats failed to return from sea.

Those killed were either hit by falling trees or wall collapses, officials in both countries said.

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Relief operations underway

India said rescue and relief teams were sent to affected areas to assess the damage.

"Hundreds of trees and electricity pylons were uprooted. Large numbers of thatched houses and of paddy farms have been damaged," Amalendu Dutta, an official in the state disaster management, said by phone from Kolkata.

In 1999, a super-cyclone battered the coast of India's Odisha state for 30 hours, killing 10,000 people.

The Bangladeshi government has prioritized faster evacuations and the construction of coastal shelters to try to limit the human tragedy during the cyclone season, which can last from April to December.

Cyclone Fani was the most powerful storm to hit the area in years when it struck in May, killing 12 people.

mm/dr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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